Back in March of 2011, United Way of the National Capital Area became a partner in the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI). DCPNI, led by the Cesar Chavez charter schools, was awarded a $500,000 planning grant that year from the U.S. Department of Education.

In December of 2012, DCPNI received an historic five-year, $25,000,000 implementation grant from the US Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhood Fund. The grant, which leverages over $30 million in donations and partner programming, will be used to help transform education, healthcare, and other services available to children and families living in this underserved neighborhood.

Involvement in the Promise Neighborhood Initiative is one of the ways that United Way NCA is embracing collective impact as the roadmap to success in community impact. DCPNI’s members—many of whom are also United Way NCA members--already operate programs serving more than 1,000 neighborhood children. DCPNI will provide a transformative continuum of cradle-to-career services, ranging from early learning interventions and elementary school supports up to college preparation, career education, and family and community wraparound services.

DCPNI will receive the $25,000,000 over 5 years to provide wraparound services and community support to families across 4 schools and their communities: Neval Thomas Elementary; Kenilworth Elementary; Chavez Parkside Middle School; and Chavez Parkside High School.

DCPNI is one of only seven U.S. communities, among 60 applicants, to receive a US Department of Education Promise Neighborhood implementation grant.